Tennessee's name change frustrates some ex-Lady Vols

In this photo from 2005, Tennessee's Kristen Andre (10) celebrates a point in a game against Missouri during the NCAA women's volleyball regional championships. The university announced this week that its women's teams will be called Volunteers, just like the men's teams, except for the women's basketball team, which will remain the Lady Vols.(Photo11: Pat Little, AP)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- In the wake of Tennessee's announcement Monday night that the school would be discontinuing the use of the Lady Vols nickname and logo for all sports except women's basketball, several former athletes are speaking out against the change.

One of them, Natalie Brock, a former Tennessee softball player and current assistant coach at Missouri-Kansas City, said she was angry when she heard the news, which represents "an end of an era."

When Brock was being recruited, the pitch was that, as a Lady Vol athlete, she'd have an athletic department devoted entirely to women's sports. That changed in 2012 when the gender-specific departments were merged into one, but that didn't alter the feeling of distinction that remained among female athletes at Tennessee, Brock said.

"It was something different than anybody else had," she said of the Lady Vols name and logo. "We had our own identity. I understand that things have to change, but it's just unfortunate because there's a lot of history and pride that goes with that.

Another former Lady Vol, 2010 first-team All-SEC soccer standout Chelsea Hatcher, said the fact that the women's basketball program gets to keep the nickname feels like "a little bit of a slap in the face to the rest of the female athletes who work just as hard every day to represent their university."

Brock said the women's basketball program was only allowed to keep the name because of the financial support that the program would lose if it was changed.

According to the school, the women's basketball program will keep the usage of the trademarks "because of the accomplishments and legacy of the championship program built by (former coach) Pat Summitt and her former players. The Lady Volunteers nickname and brand is truly reflective of coach Summitt and her legacy and will continue to be associated with the Tennessee women's basketball team."

The change, effective July 1, comes as part of the university's rebranding, which will feature a transition from Adidas apparel to Nike.

"Brand consistency across the university is critical as we strive to become a top 25 public research university," Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said in Tennessee's announcement. "It is important that we take advantage of all of the successes across this great campus, both in academics and athletics."

Former swimmer Alex Barsanti said that when she got the news, she was "really disappointed and really frustrated."

The athletic department's decision comes as part of its One Tennessee campaign, which Tennessee women's basketball coach Holly Warlick said in the statement "has united all the athletic programs here at the University of Tennessee."

But the change didn't leave Brock feeling "united" at all.

"I think it's weird more than anything," she said of the women's basketball team sticking with Lady Vols. "I think it almost makes them the outcast of the athletic department if you're trying to do One Tennessee."

Added former rower Jennifer Bailey: "It's not just basketball. ... It's all of us together. All of us together are the Lady Vols."